Local property experts explain more about the property market in Glenwood and Davenport areas, in Durban.
What type of buyer is drawn to Glenwood / Davenport?
The Glenwood area is extremely diverse and its residents are a mixed bunch of very talented people, including attorneys, advocates and doctors as well as a number of well-known architects. You can also expect to find people with young families and others whose children have now fled the family home. The university attracts academic staff and students. While the university staff generally sticks to the upper area of Glenwood, a large number of students make use of the abundance of student accommodation available in the Davenport area. The Glenwood residents embrace the cultural side of life, which is so often overlooked in our busy high-tech world.
Carol Reynolds: Area principal Pam Golding Properties, Durban Coastal
What attracts buyers to Glenwood / Davenport?
For art lovers, the galleries of the KZN Society of Arts showcases the work of local artists and crafters. The Phansi Museum, which is housed in a building built in 1898, displays some of the largest collections of traditional arts, crafts and artefacts in South Africa. The area is also home to the Khangela Brewery, the biggest producer of Umgombothi beer (a traditional drink made of sorghum) in the country. Glenwood has a friendly and relaxed vibe with the hub of activity centred round Helen Joseph Road (formerly Davenport Road) where restaurants, cafes, coffee bars, quirky shops and antique stores provide characteristic shopping and cuisine, making it a seriously hip place to be.
Brenda Liversage: General manager of residential franchises, Maxprop
What can buyers expect to pay for property in Glenwood / Davenport?
Davenport is a precinct within the greater Glenwood area. The Davenport area boasts a good mix of residential apartments, houses, commercial enterprises, sports clubs, schools and shopping centres. There is a big price difference between upper Glenwood and Davenport. Typically, a one or two bedroom apartment situated in Davenport sells for about R450,000 and R750,000. A house in the same area will typically sell for between R1,3m and R1,8m. There is a big difference in price as you go into upper Glenwood where the properties are more expensive. Davenport attracts students due to its close proximity to nearby colleges and technikons as well as its affordable property prices.
Russel Langley: Sales associate, RE/MAX Address, Glenwood
This article originally appeared in Neighbourhood, Sunday Times.
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